Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Melanie Buczko Finishes 11th at NCAA Track and Field Championships
6/11/2004 8:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
June 11, 2004
Austin, Texas - Bucknell freshman Melanie Buczko finished tied for 11th place in the pole vault finals at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Austin, Texas. After clearing the first two heights, 12'3 ?" and 12'9 ?", on her first attempts, Buczko cleared 13'1 ?" on her third and final attempt, but fell short of surmounting the next height, a would-be school-record 13'5 ?".
Buczko set the school record at the ECAC Championships last month at 13'3 ?". Increments at the NCAA Championships, however, were set differently than at the Boston, Mass., ECAC meet, moving the bar one-tenth of a meter higher starting at 3.9 meters (12'9 ?"). The first height Buczko did not clear, at 13'5 ?" (4.1 meters), turned out to be the threshold to score.
UCLA's Chelsea Johnson, a sophomore, was the NCAA champion, clearing 14'1 ?". The next three finishers all surmounted 13'9 ?", while the next four rounded out the scoring at 13'5 ?". Beth Hinshaw of Rice topped out at 13'1 ?" with Buczko, but cleared it on her first attempt, while Kelley Schulz of Texas Tech finished 10th by clearing it on her second attempt. Buczko shared the 11th spot with Breanna Eveland of Kansas State, who also needed three attempts to clear the height. Schulz and Jenny Green of Nebraska, who finished third, were the only freshmen in the nation to finish higher than Buczko.
Buczko will join fellow Bucknell rookies Ann Doty and Christa Sawko at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships at College Station, Texas, June 25-27. Buczko will compete in the pole vault with Doty in the triple jump and Sawko in a the 400-meter hurdles. The "junior" label applies to athletes at least 14 years old on the date of competition through those who will not turn 20 in 2004. Athletes also had to meet qualifying standards to participate.
